Greenacre planning battle takes new turn
Parent company of the Newbury leisure centre approaches new party to build its replacement
THE battle for the future Greenacre Leisure Centre has taken another twist after it has emerged that the parent company of the sports facility has approached a new party to build its replacement.
Newburytoday.co.uk understands that Riverside PLC, the company which owns the facility in Greenham Road, Newbury, has sounded out a team of architects to design a new centre after it was unhappy with proposals that Bloor Homes, the developer hoping to build 42 houses on the Greenacre site, had put forward.
A note on the website of the pressure group Save Our Great Greenacre Institution (SOGGI) claims that Bloor had asked for £4 million to build the new leisure centre, and that Riverside had baulked at the request.
Bloor Homes did not respond when questioned about this by this website.
It is expected that the new plans will be revealed in January, however Riverside PLC remained tight-lipped when questioned over the details of offer or its intention to outsource the building of the new centre.
In October, Newburytoday.co.uk's sister publication, the Newbury Weekly News, exclusively revealed that Riverside had struck a deal with Greenacre, Bloor Homes and Rivar Homes Ltd to tear down the facility and replace it with 42 homes, and 17 affordable homes at another plot a short distance away, near to Sayers Close.
A new leisure facility was proposed to be built on land adjacent to the current site, however gym members and local residents were unconvinced of the likelihood of success given the land is shielded by planning laws and contains protected wildlife, and were upset at the potential loss of not only the tennis facilities, considered the best in the county, but a heated swimming pool, squash and gym facilities.
The SOGGI website has been collecting views in relation to the development and has a 10-page document of objections collated from the opinions of users of the group and concerned local residents.
“The Bloor Homes proposal is a massive disappointment,” the web page states. “It is inadequate, it fails to meet the needs of local stakeholders, it neglects the current members of Greenacre Club, and it is rooted in 20th rather than 21st century thinking.”
